The last conscience of the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 45 Being Targeted
Cao Yang, who originally went to Liang Xin to cut Xi Duanyi, returned home.

Tell his cousin Cao Tan what he saw and heard.

"I think this young lady from the Li family wants Brother Xin to take charge of the secret library. There were rumors in the early years that she pawned all her jewelry in the market at Xiangguo Temple in order to exchange for an original copy. Who would have thought, The most talented woman in Bianjing stayed in the Liang family just for a few books."

Cao Tan didn't answer.

No matter what, it was Liang Xin who snatched Li Qingzhao back.

Cao Yang asked again: "Brother Xin asked our scripture shop to print that play about the Three Kingdoms. I can't find him these days, and I can't ask. Do you know who wrote it?"

Cao Tan glanced at Cao Yang and said to himself that Liang Xin didn't tell him, so he couldn't tell him, so he replied: "I don't want to leave my name. Although our classics shop is not the largest in Bianjing City, it was also the largest shop at that time. This shop has been open for more than 100 years and has a great reputation. I absolutely cannot tell you who the author is."

"Well, when new ones come out, ask someone to send a set to our hospital."

"Okay." Cao Tan was also in a dilemma. If he told too many lies, he would have to tell more lies. One day he would be exposed.

In the afternoon, Cao Tan entered the palace.

Liang Xin didn't have to go to the palace for three days and concentrated on telling stories at home.

Let's talk about Cao Tan entering the palace.

Queen Mother Xiang had already prepared tea. When Cao Tan arrived, Queen Mother Xiang ordered the ordinary maids and eunuchs to go out and took Cao Tan's hand to sit in the garden.

"This year, it's twenty-nine years old."

Cao Tan replied in a low voice: "You are in vain."

Queen Mother Xiang asked again: "That's the new Jinshi you mentioned, the one who wrote plays in the Three Kingdoms dialects. What's his name?"

Cao Tan's voice rose several times: "Big Empress."

Xiang Taihou: "If you really think it is what you want, I will make the decision. I will write a letter to your father today. If your father also thinks it is appropriate, let the officials issue an edict."

Cao Tan: "I, I..."

Xiang the Queen Mother: "When did the daughter of Wu Xun Cao's family start imitating those unfashionable things and become coquettish?"

Cao Tan still didn't speak.

She signaled to the Queen Mother that all the maids should go out, including the nuns beside her.

When Empress Dowager Xiang and Cao Tan were alone in the garden, Empress Dowager Xiang said, "Now, it's just the two of us. Let's say whatever we want."

Cao Tan said: "He is an ambitious man. He came to my house and borrowed some of my father's handwriting. He is very diligent in studying. He is also loyal to the official family. I don't know where he heard that someone wanted to abandon Shanzhou. He said some very meaningful words, and I learned from them."

"Yes." Queen Mother Xiang was listening.

Shanzhou, this was the name of the Song Dynasty, but the actual control was in the hands of the nobles of the Qing and Tang Dynasties.

The importance of Shanzhou and the importance of Hehuang.

Opening up a territory of two thousand miles, benefiting the Song Dynasty, suppressing Xixia...

After listening carefully, Queen Mother Xiang had some doubts in her heart, because she knew that Liang Xin had been helping Zhao Ji promote the preservation of Shanzhou and Hehuang.

However, after listening to Cao Tan's description at this time, he still praised it: "He has ambition and talent, not bad."

Cao Tan added: "However, yesterday there were rumors in the market that he had robbed the eldest daughter of Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of Etiquette, and returned home. I felt very uncomfortable inside, but he did not admit that he was wrong."

He asked the Queen Mother: "What's going on? Please tell me in detail."

Cao Tan talked about it one after another.After hearing this, Queen Mother Xiang shook her head: "You don't know, a few years ago, the new law was quite cruel to the old law. Most of those who were imprisoned for crimes like this were demoted and exiled, and their family members were sent to the Jiaofang. Speaking of this, the Li family Eldest girl, this palace has also heard of her, a talented girl from Bianjing City. In terms of origin, their two families are still old."

"Old?"

"This slave, Liang Shicheng, has always said that he is the son of a scholar from Dongpo. The Su family did not dispute it. I also asked, and it seems that it is really possible. The father of the girl from the Li family is also a student of the Su family, and her teacher Zhang Lei He is also a student of the Su family. This kid is very measured, you are talking about Liang Xin, right?"

Cao Tan was a little surprised that Empress Dowager Xiang called out Liang Xin's name directly.

Empress Dowager Xiang continued: "Liang Shicheng, this slave, serves as the general magistrate of Kaifeng Mansion. As far as I know, he is in the middle and does not favor any party. He carefully fulfills the errands arranged by the officials. When it comes to robbing people, I am afraid he is helpless. Act of."

"Also, I know that the Li family girl only copied and wrote when she came to the Liang family. This brother Xin is indeed talented, but I am very curious as to why he can write two completely different styles of scripts at the same time."

Cao Tan said: "He has two poems about Linjiang Immortal. Please listen to them."

"Listen."

Cao Tan was talking about the two poems Liang Xin memorized in Taiqing Tower.

After listening, he said to the Queen Mother: "He is indeed talented. Speaking of which, his grandfather Dongpo, a bachelor, became famous in Bianjing when he was 21 years old. Is he ten years old?"

Cao Tan's face turned red: "Xu Shiliu."

"Yes, better than his grandfather. He can write such poems at the age of sixteen. I have the final say. I will ensure that he enters the fifth rank within ten years. I will never humiliate you. If you really want to, write a letter to your father now. .”

"It's all up to the eldest lady to decide."

Seeing that Cao Tan had agreed, Empress Dowager Xiang asked the nanny beside her to prepare pens, inks, paper and inkstones, and then arranged for someone to call Zhao Ji over.

Zhao Ji is very happy.

All I had to do was look up to the sky and laugh, and finally got what I wanted. Liang Xin, you can say goodbye to the buildings, courtyards, pavilions and columns of Bianjing City forever.

"Madam, I thought that Cai Youcheng, the guilty minister, had trespassed in his home. Some officials impeached him, and he built a garden and destroyed hundreds of houses. I personally went to see it, and there was a hall in the house, four feet and nine feet high, like a Palace ban. Ordinary people are not worthy of this house. If it is given to the Cao family, I will take it as a dowry. The eldest lady thinks it is good."

The Empress Dowager thought about it: "That's very good. Why not open up the Cai brothers' houses and give them to them together. This Cai Bian's house will be given to a caring servant like Liang Shicheng. What does the emperor think?"

Zhao Ji doesn't care about such trivial matters.

Agree immediately.

That house is really nice.

If the two houses were connected, Cao Tan was shocked when she heard that her family was a royal family and had a queen. However, if the two houses were connected, the Cao family's house would be far inferior.

Let’s talk about the area first, occupying two square meters of land.

Extending from Liangmen Street along the Bianhe River in both north and south directions, there are also artificial lakes dug manually.

If we dig further from the water channel, we can connect it to the palace city. If we build a bridge, we can go directly to the palace.

After the matter was agreed, Zhao Ji immediately asked someone to find Liang Shicheng.

Soon, Liang Shicheng arrived.

Zhao Ji said: "You are a miscellaneous slave, and you have been very profitable in recent times. The eldest lady has been kind enough to reward you with Cai Bian's house. You can repair it and teach the new slaves. Things will be done in your house. In the palace You can always hear the screams of those clumsy slaves being beaten. Whose fault is it for disturbing the eldest lady?"

Liang Shicheng quickly replied: "The sin of slavery."

(End of this chapter)